A very specific sort of yuri anime (or manga).
 

Watching Saki and Uta Kata over the Summer put me in the mood for strong and sweet yuri romances.

I acted on that by watching all of Aoi Hana.

I liked Saki, Uta Kata, and Aoi Hana, but I was hoping to find a yuri with a degree of consummation to it. Not necessarily explicit and on-screen, but just a sense that this is a real romance where both partners are beyond the blushing, pseudo-romance stage.

This eventually lead me into reading the manga Girl Friends which I thoroughly enjoyed, as well as the manga Kuchibiru Tameiki Sakurairo. Special note: I loved the artistic style of both.

What I'd most like to see though is an anime very similar to these two manga, where a yuri romance is the main focus of the story, and the romance is actually consummated (at the very least, they kiss, lol). So no need to bring up shows like Yuruyuri here (though I probably will get more into it soon, especially if this suggestion thread doesn't bring up what I'm hoping to find).

Now, I've already watched Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl and Blue Drop. Anime likes these two would also work.


However, I know that serious yuri romance in anime can be hard to find, so I'll take manga suggestions as well. :)

manga:
Aoi Hana - the manga takes it a lot further than the anime... Fumi and Akira are actually going out right now ^^
Hoshikawa Ginza District 4 - an interesting yuri manga with an age gap... sort of an ambiguous parent/guardian thing going on but the romantic nature of their relationship is made quite clear
Strawberry Shake - sort of a romantic comedy showbiz version of Girl Friends
Hanjuku Joshi - sort of a smutty yuri manga... but an okay story nonetheless
Junsui Adolescence - student/teacher romance
Even if We're Not Friends - nice short series (the link is to a volume of oneshots... the sequels to the main story are linked on that page I believe)
Husky and Medley - apparently based on a true story

..there's at least a kiss in all those.

anime:
Simoun is pretty pretty decent... and the main couple ends up together (and not men! a worrying possibility when you know the basic plot, lol). Lots of kissing and such IIRC... I don't really remember what the main couple does together, lol...
Strawberry Panic - really cheesy, but enjoyable if you're looking for explicit yuri.

Thanks for the info. That's encouraging to know. The thing I disliked the most about the Aoi Hana anime is that its ending felt like a massive tease to me. :heh:


Thanks a lot for all of these manga suggestions, and particularly for good details on each which helps me to pick favorites out of them. :)


Tried Strawberry Panic a long time ago, but its pacing felt very slow to me at the time, and I only lasted a few episodes. Might revisit it though, as I'm much more of a yuri fan now than I was two or three years ago.

Thanks for the Simoun suggestion.

...I'm just going to second everything jedinat said, and then I'll throw in these:
Iono the Fanatics is about a queen who traverses Japan...looking for more girls to add to her harem. It's always portrayed in a humorous light, and barring maybe one or two instances, the whole but we're both girls! trope is never played.
There's also Kimi Koi Limit, and much like Kashimashi, is a straightforward love triangle. And unlike Kashimashi, doesn't have any fantastic circumstances.

Did you read only the tankobon? There are two more chapters after that:

Chocolate Kiss Kiss
Wishing on the Moon

These chapters continue the story of Nana and Hitomi. It's Morinaga at her best, I'd say.

I haven't really watched any yuri shows, but I think Candy Boy (yeah, a real good title) implied a strong relationship between the girls (sisters, so it's also incest).

^There was nothing beyond blushing and hand holding...

As a huge fan of yuri, I'd love to share with you some of the ones that I liked that haven't been mentioned yet. <3

Anime:

Kannazuki no Miko - I think every person who seeks to find yuri eventually finds themselves watching this. That's what happened to me. xD It's quite popular. The story is not that bad, really. In fact, it will get you hooked at some point.

Maria-sama ga Miteru - now I know it's all subtext, but hey, this is the first yuri anime I've seen and it's forever one of my favorites. From a series of light novels, this one won't disappoint. It's a sweet and romantic story that will surely set your heart aflutter. It's really beautiful. <3

Blue Drop Tenshi-tachi no Gikyoku - one of my favorites. This is somehow underrated, but it's a wonderful story. I'm warning you, you gotta prepare yourself for the drama of this anime, because the first time that I watched it from beginning to end, I went through an extensive emotional roller coaster that I wasn't able to resist. All my feelings, I just couldn't stop.

Manga:

Sasameki Koto - a story about two girls who can't find the courage to just tell each other their true feelings rather than just sitting around staring at each other and wallow themselves in aaaaaangst. lol but seriously, it's a romantic comedy that will make you laugh and wish there would be more progress between the two. Don't lose hope, though. For all we know, we're in for a big surprise in the later chapters. ^-^ (I discovered that this manga exists by watching it's anime adaptation first.)

Kimi Koi Limit - this one's promising. It looked interesting from the get-go and I decided to start reading it. And oooh, what do we have here? A love triangle! xD It's another drama, and it's sort of funny as well. I like the art. ^-^ I'm already rooting for the girl who I want the protagonist to end up with. xD


It's a bit sad why there aren't much yuri anime this year. I'm hoping there would be an anime adaptation for Girl Friends and Strawberry Shake Sweet, because they're a favorite of mine, and it would be so nice if they would grace my screen with their wonderful characters and and heartwarming storylines. I'm also hoping for a second season of Saki. @_@ It shouldn't just end where it ended! T-T I want more!

Many anime series today though, they never fail to include bits and pieces of this lovely genre into their own plot. I'm sure it's not just me with my yuri goggles on. lol

Just marathoned this, as it being based on a true story really piqued my curiosity.

Some thoughts in spoiler space below.





And just read these two as well. Thanks a lot, Kazu-kun!

Darn, why doesn't any of this have anime adaptions?

Two very nice chapters. Good work by Morinaga to say the least.


Thanks to everybody for their recommendations. Still looking for as many as possible. Will post my thoughts on whatever I check out based on those recommendations.

Anyone mentioned Revolutionary Girl Utena? Its about a girl who wants to become a prince and save the rose bride.

That's my very first yuri series. Can't remember it they actually kissed or not (both in anime and manga) but there is little doubt on the yuri factor nor the seriousness of it. There is also a movie version that is more explicit. All three versions are different, with both manga and anime created at the same time for the project. The artistic sense, animation and music were all top notch back then even now the animation holds up pretty well. If you haven't seen it, check the OP on Youtube, it does a great job on showing what series is about and one of the best anime OP ever, IMO.


I'll also second Maria-sama ga Miteru. Granted most of it are in subtext only but there are elements that has legit yuri relationship and it really is just beautifully done one of the few anime that makes appreciates the beauty of yuri without lusting after them (Eroge) or make/having fun of it (aka, Yuruyuri, Maria Panic).

The fact that there is more heterosexual incest than yuri in Revolutionary Girl Utena completely ruins it IMHO.

Glad you liked Husky and Medley, Triple R.

Really? Personally I think it only enhances the series, without that part, it's merely a good yuri series, with it a classic masterpiece that received various awards, theater plays and HD remaster makeover. Besides, inbreed/incest and homosexuality has always been the dark side of human lust for centuries.

Don't want to take the thread over--let's just say I disagree with all points. Besides, TC was not just looking for any "yuri anime" but "yuri with a degree of consummation to it." From what I remember Utena is definitely not that. Otherwise I had about 5 times the manga/anime to recommend... and that's not even getting into the oneshots...

Depend on which of three version you watch. As for consummation on TV version, granted there is no kiss, but that's as platonic as you can get, IMO, in a relationship. And I for one, believes in platonic relationship as much as physical relationship.

As for the inbreed/homo relationship comment I stand my ground. There are full of them through out history and it depends on culture and period. Not to mention that even now there are civilized countries that allows incest (marriage is different story) includes Luxembourg, Netherland, Japan and France.

But let's just agree to disagree.


Also I'll second Kannazuki no Miko, mecha and yuri and possible NTR it's a trifecta and this one has kiss in it...

The only "real" couple that comes to my mind is Haruka/Michiru from Sailor Moon, but unfortunately the series is not about them. I always wanted to see an anime dedicated to such a couple, but with no luck.

Adolescence of Utena (the movie) may fit, with all its kisses and the most beautiful dancing scene I've seen in anime.

I'll third Kannazuki no Miko, I really liked it personally. [And hoping you like Strawberry Panic moe the second time :heh:.]

Also Sasameki Koto's anime was decent, but it didn't go far enough in the manga really[you could watch the anime then pick up the manga like a number of people have :p.]

I'm intentionally bumping this thread for a couple of reasons:

1. I recently read the Aoi Hana manga, and I've enjoyed reading its main pair slowly but surely develop their romance together. That put me in the mood for reading more yuri manga like it.

2. It's been about three quarters of a year since the last suggestion was made on this thread, so perhaps there's something new out in the world of yuri anime and manga that has slipped my notice over that time. This is especially true of manga as I'm not a regular manga reader.


So yeah, any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated. :)

Note: Doujin suggestions are also welcomed as long as they're not too hard to find, and involve one of these four properties: Madoka Magica, Saki, Nanoha, K-On!

Prism is awesome. Possibly the best yuri manga yet.

I think you don't really like yuri. Shitsurakuen was awful. Octave was also awful, but I'll concede that might be a subjective thing.

Just checked out your link for it, and yeah, that definitely sounds like what I'm looking for here. I'll get back to you on what I think of it after I read some of it. Thanks a lot! :D


Actually, I've read some of Octave. If I had to sum up my take on Octave in a nutshell, I'd say it does have good sex appeal, but I didn't find it all that romantic. But I can certainly imagine worse suggestions, so thanks for it, Kirito. :)


Edit: Just read the first chapter of Prism. Man, what an impressively strong start. Thanks a lot, jedinat!